Production of federally-inspected young meat chicken last year was 50,357,757,000 pounds, liveweight, 2.0 percent more than the 49,350,169,000 pounds in 2012, according to “Poultry Slaughter 2013 Summary” issued this week by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Georgia was the top producing state with 7,028,022,000 pounds, 3.4 percent above 2012. In addition to Georgia, two other states topped the 5.5 billion pounds mark: Alabama with 5,646,593,000 pounds, up 0.7 percent; North Carolina with 5,548,645,000 pounds, up 5.0 percent. Arkansas was the fourth largest producing state with 5,323,375,000 pounds, up 2.5 percent over 2012. These top four states accounted for almost 47 percent of the total U.S. quantity produced in 2013. Eighteen (69 percent) of the 26 reporting states registered gains in production over 2012. On a percentage basis, Oklahoma experienced the largest gain, 10.4 percent, while the sharpest decline in production was New Jersey with a 17.5 percent drop.
Production of federally-inspected young chicken by state for 2012 and 2013 was as follows:
| Federally-Inspected Young Chicken Production, Liveweight, 2012 and 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | 2012 | 2013 | Change |
| -1,000 pounds- | -1,000 pounds- | -percent- | |
| Georgia | 6,799,424 | 7,028,022 | 3.4 |
| Alabama | 5,604,805 | 5,646,593 | 0.7 |
| North Carolina | 5,282,361 | 5,548,645 | 5.0 |
| Arkansas | 5,191,860 | 5,323,375 | 2.5 |
| Mississippi | 4,402,349 | 4,326,454 | -1.7 |
| Texas | 3,585,691 | 3,629,629 | 1.2 |
| Delaware | 2,194,460 | 2,225,471 | 1.4 |
| Missouri | 2,035,032 | 2,094,218 | 2.9 |
| South Carolina | 1,918,749 | 1,947,717 | 1.5 |
| Virginia | 1,690,024 | 1,738,493 | 2.9 |
| Kentucky | 1,680,928 | 1,645,534 | -2.1 |
| California | 1,522,918 | 1,558,495 | 2.3 |
| Louisiana | 1,414,346 | 1,133,709 | -0.7 |
| Oklahoma | 818,673 | 903,594 | 10.4 |
| Maryland | 682,516 | 749,003 | 9.7 |
| Pennsylvania | 730,437 | 698,713 | -4.3 |
| West Virginia | 453,154 | 455,393 | 0.5 |
| Ohio | 367,723 | 404,261 | 9.9 |
| Florida | 355,561 | 380,881 | 7.1 |
| Washington | 314,143 | 325,118 | 3.5 |
| Minnesota | 264,907 | 285,261 | 7.7 |
| Indiana | 261,582 | 254,308 | -2.8 |
| Wisconsin | 214,010 | 210,753 | -1.5 |
| Tennessee | 1,584,897 | 1,555,162 | -1.9 |
| New York | 104,431 | 106,982 | 2.4 |
| New Jersey | 8,244 | 6,799 | -17.5 |
| United States | 49,350,169 | 50,357,757 | 2.0 |
In 2013 there were 8,503,750,000 young meat chicken slaughtered under federal inspection, 0.9 percent more than the 8,428,999,000 chickens in 2012. At the same time, the average weight per young meat chicken last year was 5.92 pounds, liveweight, 1.2 percent heavier than the 5.85 pounds in 2012.
Antemortem condemnation of young meat chicken in 2013 totaled 124,592,000 pounds compared with 122,809,000 pounds in 2012. This represented in 2013, 0.20 percent, measured as pounds condemned as a percent of liveweight pounds inspected. In 2012, the comparable percentage was 0.19. Post mortem condemnations were also up year-over-year. In 2013, with 426,035,000 pounds condemned compared with 402,550,000 pounds in 2012. Measured as pounds condemned as a percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations, the percentage was 0.83 in 2013, compared with 0.79 percent in 2012.
